A look ahead.

• Author: Gravit, Aleisha
• Position: LEADERS

It's the time of year when we reflect on the past 12 months and start planning for the future. This year has been great for LMA. we launched our new Client Value shared Interest Group (SIG), which focuses on pricing, project management and practice innovation. we held our first pricing-related conference in October, yielding more than 30 new LMA members--from pricing officers to members of in-house legal departments. we also completed a segmentation research project that will allow us to build more effective member benefits and communications by thinking about our members in new ways. we are well-positioned to continue on a positive trajectory into 2014.

The imaginary crystal ball sitting on my desk tells me that our profession will see continued evolution in the coming years. The shift in focus from traditional marketing to more data-driven business development and sales will be swift. There will be an increased focus and demand on technology by the marketing and business development departments, and knowledge management will make a huge comeback and play a key role in business development.

For my last article as president of this great association, I decided to conduct a Q-and-A with Tim Corcoran, the incoming president of LMA, so he could share his outlook for the organization in 2014 and his predictions on where our profession is headed. Meet your 2014 president.

Aleisha Gravit: Tim, as incoming president, what are the primary goals for LMA in 2014?

Tim Corcoran: we must continue to improve both the quality and the access to education for all members, so expect to see more movement on that front. in 2014, we will pursue with vigor new opportunities for collaboration with and among chapters and city groups, so good ideas can receive a wider audience, regardless of where they're developed.

AG: What trends are you envisioning in legal marketing during the next five years?

TC: Legal marketing...